PALA20RNIS AFFINIS, Gould.
Allied Parrakeet,
A f t e r carefully comparing the bird here represented with the Palceomis Malaccensis, and the description o f
the bird to which Mr. Blyth has given the name o f P . mridimystax, I can come to no other conclusion than
that it is quite distinct from, although nearly allied to, b o th ; I have therefore given it a separate designation,
that o f affinis. That my figure is taken from a fully adult bird, and is not the female o f P . Malaccensis, I
have but little doubt. In his description o f P . viridimystax, Mr. Blyth states that the back o f the neck is
green, or i f I understand him rightly, the red does not extend round the nape, as in P . Malaccensis. At
the end o f the year 1857, there were living in the Gardens o f the Zoological Society two parrakeets,
according pretty nearly with Mr. Blyth’s description, but unfortunately they died before they had completed
their moulting,— a circumstance to be regretted, inasmuch as if they had lived to complete the change,
they would probably have cleared up a point o f much interest to me, and enabled me to speak more positively
on the su bje ct; but I do not doubt the specific value o f the present bird. In size it assimilates to
P . Malaccensis, but it differs in having a bright green instead o f a black moustache, and in the colouring
o f the rump being bluish green instead o f verditer-blue.
N o information could be given me by Mr. Moore, o f the Derby Museum, as to whence the specimen came,
or at what period it was added to the late Earl of'Derby’s collection. It is doubtless from the East, and
probably from Malacca, or one o f the islands o f the Indian Ocean.
Crown o f the head deep grass-green ; line from the nostrils, through the eye, deep g r e en ; cheeks, sides o f
the head, and collar at nape pinky red, deepest on the cheeks, and paler on the n a p e ; from the angle o f
the beak a broad and lengthened deep green moustache; centre o f the back glaucous green, passing into
bright pale green on the rump; wings green, washed with orange in the centre, passing into greenish blue
towards the e d g e ; both webs o f the outer primary and the inner webs o f the other primaries brownish
black, the outer webs o f all but the first blue at the base, passing into the yellowish green o f their apical
p o r tion s; under surface o f the body and under coverts o f the wings yellowish g r e en ; lateral tail-feathers
grass-green ; the two lengthened middle feathers dark purplish b lu e; bill red, upper mandible yellow at the
tip ; fe et mealy grey.
The Plate represents the bird o f the size o f nature.